Complete Speed Training

David Rudisha 800m World Record Video: 1:41.01

Share I predicted David Rudisha would break the World Record in Rieti. He ran a World Record 1:41.09 6 days earlier on August 23rd. When you analyze the top men’s 800 meters performances over the last 25 years, NINE were set in Rieti. Make that TEN as of today! SIDENOTE: In 1997, Wilson Kipketer also [...]

David Rudisha 800m World Record Video: 1:41.09

Share I predicted David Rudisha would break the World Record in Rieti. Perhaps I could still be correct with the meet being one week away. But my crystal ball is besides the point. David Rudisha broke the world record in Berlin with a 1:41.09, meat slicing a measly 0.02 seconds off the old standard of [...]

Tom Tellez and Weekly Training Cycles (The Microcyle)

Share The key to a proper training program is BALANCE. I prefer alternating hard & easy days with one or 2 days off, depending on the athlete.  Masters athletes need more easy days, but the “active recovery” days are great to maintain fitness and keep those unwanted pounds from creeping up.  It’s also a chance [...]

How to Race the 800 meters: David Rudisha 1:41.51

Share The 800 meters is becoming a long sprint.  I would love to see them run in their own lanes for the first 300m, and break for the pole at the 100m starting line.  Heck, while you are at it, give them starting blocks, too! But seriously, David Rudisha ran splits of 49.65 + 51.86 [...]

Plyometrics better than Conventional Strength Training?

Share Here is some research (which I would normally post on the Facebook Fan Page), but since it is from my old McGill backyard at the University of Montreal (otherwise known as U of M) , I feel I should give them some exposure. While our sprinters do BOTH plyometrics and conventional weight training (mix [...]

800 meter Training – How Much Mileage should a Half-Miler Run?

Share This is a continuation of my previous article 400m Sprinter Moving up to the 800 meters If you are a hard core elite half-miler, you’ve probably researched other coaches like Jack Daniels, Bill Bowerman, Arthur Lydiard, or even Peter Coe, Sebastian Coe’s father and coach. The big question is: How much mileage should an [...]

Rieti 2009 Revisited – David Rudisha Video and others

Share The past articles on my visit to Rieti and David Rudisha’s 400/800 performance brought on a few emails asking the obvious question: Where Are The Videos? Okay, here they are. I decided to use some high tech server technology and use the JWPlayer to display MP4 files instead of the usual FLV (my apologies [...]

400m Sprinter Moving up to the 800 meters

Share There comes a (sad) time when an aging or “not so successful” 400m sprinter decides to move up to the 800m. Usually it’s the coach who decides this. Why would you want to move up?  For me, anything over 400 meters I take a taxi. But seriously, there are several factors.  The number one [...]

Myth Busters – 800 meters in Rieti

Share When you analyze the top men’s 800 meters performances over the last 25 years, NINE were set in Rieti. Canada’s Gary Reed PB for 800m is 1:43.93 from 2006, also set in Rieti. Rieti was also the venue for Asafa Powell’s 9.74 100 meter WR set in 2007. If you are a half-miler, you’ll [...]

3 Rounds for Track Events – What does it mean?

Share Interesting article from the IAAF Council Meeting notes, Monaco – 20 November, 2009.  It states under the TRACK EVENTS: No more than three rounds for any event A preliminary qualification round of men’s and women’s 100m to include only unqualified athletes Relays spread over at least three days Semi-Finals and Finals in same session [...]

Building a Better Runner DVD Giveaway

Share Last year, I reviewed the DVD Building a Better Runner by RunningDVDs.com. This training DVD was produced by Coach Jay Johnson, the middle distance coach at the University of Colorado, and Mike Smith, the head cross country coach and middle distance coach at Kansas State University. This is a great product as it doesn’t [...]

Nike and Native Americans: The N7 Collection

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Share NOTE: In Canada, we use the term First Nations instead of Native Americans. BEAVERTON, Ore.  — This weekend Nike (NYSE:NKE) will debut the Nike N7 Collection, a select range of performance footwear designed with the environment and the future of Native American communities in mind. The N7 Collection will be sold exclusively through 33 [...]

Barefoot Running and the Vibram FiveFingers Sprint

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Share I’m standing in front of the Arch of Constantine which is next to the Coliseum in the heart of Rome. This historical monument was the finish line for the 1960 Rome Olympic marathon where Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia won the race barefoot. Did I mention barefoot? Running barefoot has its benefits, and today’s running [...]

Berlin 2009 – Why You Won’t See a World Record a Middle Distance or Long Distance Event

Share Why You Won’t See a World Record in this Upcoming World Championships or Olympics When was the last time you saw a world record in a World Championship or Olympics Games in a middle distance or long distance event from 800 meters upwards? Sprinters take advantage of the Championship atmosphere, the multiple rounds, and [...]

Move over Matt Bogdanowicz, here comes Alicia Weber!

Share When Speedendurance covered Matt Bogdanowicz’s World Record attempts, a lot of you were wondering who set the equivalent WR for a women? As you know, my good friend Matt is also a sub-Masters middle distance runner who set WR for 1 minute pull-ups (46), 1 hour pull-ups (522), 30 minute pull-ups (433 set in [...]

Nike Introduces New Nike+ SportBand and Enhanced Digital Running Destination

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Share NIKE, Inc. introduced the new Nike+ SportBand, giving runners real-time performance feedback on their distance, pace, time and calories burned with just a glance at their wrist. Nike also redefined the online running experience by merging the successful site nikeplus.com and its close to 2 million members together with nikerunning.com. Nike+ SportBand The Nike+ [...]

Bill Bowerman, NIKE, PRE and… Harry Jerome?

Share YET another successful Harry Jerome International Track & Field Classic is under our belts.  In case you missed it, you can view all the races and interviews on Flocast.org. Harry Jerome was the most decorated sprinter between the Percy Williams (1920’s) and Ben Johnson (1980’s) era.  One of the many highlights was his bronze [...]

Uphill Running Benefits for Speed and Special Endurance

Share I discussed overspeed training by means of a pulley or slight downhill grade. But what about uphill running, or running with resistance such as sleds? These two scenarios have two different functions, but I’ll discuss sleds and pulleys on a later post. Over the Hills Because distances on the hills are hard to measure [...]

PODCAST – Jack Daniels – The Art and Science of Running

Share Daniels’ Running Formula If you enjoyed the article on Jack Daniels – The Art and Science of Running Video, you are sure to enjoy this podcast. With the closing of the The High Altitude Training Center in Flagstaff, I thought to give Jack Daniels some shameless promotion for his book and DVD, though I [...]

Nike LunarGlide+ Innovative Dynamic Support System Running Shoe

Share BEAVERTON, Ore. – Nike today introduced the Nike LunarGlide+, a new lightweight running shoe with an innovative mid-sole design architecture called Dynamic Support, a patent-pending system which adapts to a runner’s gait with each step, providing superior cushioning and as-needed stability. “Runners traditionally had to choose between stability or cushioning shoes based on their [...]

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